Sandra Bullock goes blonde to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, a woman who welcomes a homeless African-American teenager named Michael “Big Mike” Oher into her home, takes him under her wing and makes him part of her family. Michael goes on to become a successful professional American football player (it’s a true story) and Sandra goes on to win her first Oscar – for Best Actress.
Honestly, one of the first things that popped into my mind after I saw this movie (Sandra had already won the Oscar then) was: Obviously there weren’t too many great female lead performances last year.
It sounds bad, I know, and that’s not to say I wasn’t happy that Sandra won. I love her and was genuinely happy to see her pick up the trophy; it’s just that I was expecting a deeper, more emotional performance. And maybe it’s not fair to make comparisons, but Kate Winslet’s 2009 Best Actress-winning performance in The Reader is still fresh in my mind.
That said, The Blind Side is a good movie, especially if you like your films inspirational and real. Sandra checks her comedic tendencies at the door to deliver something a little more dramatic, and she’s backed by an above-decent cast in bringing this story to life. That’s my favourite part of the film – the fact that it’s a true story and that we actually get to meet the real people behind it at the end.
Sure, some will say it’s just another sports success story and it’s really nothing we haven’t already seen before. But isn’t that the beauty of these stories? That no matter how many times we’ve seen the same formula, even though we all know how the tale ends, it still inspires and warms our hearts. And boy do we need that every once in a while.
Verdict: B+
some will say… she didnt bare her top and she win an oscar? taking it off seems to be the trend… like kate winslet & halle berry.
Or going unattractive like Charlize Theron? I was just thinking the other day, Halle Berry hasn’t really done anything great since her Oscar.